KISS, the never-ending merchandising machine, is still relatively popular in Japan and periodically releases Japan-exclusive products. In the past we’ve seen black KISS spicy steamed buns and just recently we were treated to a KISS collaboration music video with popular Japanese idol group Momoiro Clover Z. But if you aren’t satisfied merely eating or watching the band, you now have a chance to transform into one of its members in mere seconds using the newly released KISS Face Pack.

Sure, we know that Japanese samurai warriors, with their bushido code of honor and their sharp katana swords, are seriously cool, right? Well, such warriors may be an existence of the past, but we can understand how they continue to hold a strong fascination for people not just in Japan, but abroad as well. To our delight, we’ve found a group of such samurai fans, in far away Finland no less, and they’re making their fondness for samurai and Japanese culture heard very loudly indeed!

Meet WHISPERED, the Finnish heavy metal band whose look and work have a decidedly Japanese and samurai theme. And judging from comments online, Internet users who’ve heard the band’s music seem to have good things to say in this case of Japan meets Scandinavia!

With the Japanese pop idol market in over-saturation thanks to a certain 48-member strong girl group and its related splinter and regional variants, the pop-music loving public are starting to get restless. Pretty girls singing sugary-sweet J-pop in unison is all well and good, but how about a little more musical talent to go with the eye candy? Enter LoVendoЯ (pronounced “Lavender” or, in Japanese, “rabendaa”), a girl group with actual musical instrument playing skills! Okay, so only two of them play instruments (the guitar). And one of these guitarists, Marin Miyazawa, (far right) has managed to snag a huge percentage of the fan adoration away from frontwoman and ex-Morning Musume member, Reina Tanaka (no mean feat!). So, why does everyone love her so much? Well, she’s not only super-pretty, she also plays the guitar quite well. Beautiful womendoing things hype!

The most popular images on the ‘Net are probably cats and cute girls, and the latest lovely ‘lady’ to draw the appreciative gaze of netizens is Lao Wan, the lead vocalist of a Taiwanese band called Green! Eyes. But of course, nothing is ever quite as it seems. Prepare to leave your gender preconceptions at the door.

While the meme above is probably nothing new to you, it took its time reaching Japanese Internet audiences. But now that it has shown up on this side of the ocean, we’ve learned something a bit surprising about Japanese rock fans.

Which instrument do you think was the most liked according to a recent online survey? We’ll give you a hint: Without it, the Red Hot Chili Peppers wouldn’t be nearly as much fun to listen to!

Arriving in Japan late last week for two nights of shows, English band Muse – whose tracks have been featured on comedian-cum-doodler Tekken’s videos on multiple occasions – decided to let their hair down and take a walk through the streets of Tokyo.

Dressed, as one Japanese Twitter user comments, “like flamingoes”, however, they stuck out like a sore thumb and were soon snapped by fans and confused passers-by alike. Amateur photography and excited quotes a-plenty after the jump.

Six years ago, a man inviting a group of girls to come and play with his Wii would probably have resulted in face slapping and a visit from the police, but here in 2012 everyone and their dog knows what a Wii is. And now, with the launch of the new Wii U, the next generation of remote-wielding gaming featuring a touchscreen-equipped controller, nerdy men the world over have a new toy to lure girls into their homes with.

The console supports up to four Wii remotes, plus the new touchscreen contoller, meaning that it’s one of the most group-oriented games consoles ever made, and just begs to be played by whole families or groups of friends.

But since RocketNews24Japan‘s closest Wii U-owning pal (who we shall refer only as WiiMan to protect his nerdy identity) is a self-confessed part-time hemit and only ever gets to see the single-player modes of his games, he called his friend Kaori and invited her over for some multiplayer fun.